Walter Butler

Walter Butler (1752-30 October 1781) was a lawyer from New York who became a leader of Tory rangers during the American Revolutionary War under his father, John Butler.

Biography
Walter Butler was born in 1752, the son of wealthy Indian agent John Butler. Walter Butler studied law and became a lawyer in Albany, and he joined Butler's Rangers under his father during the American Revolutionary War, serving as a captain. Butler was captured by Marinus Willett in 1777 and sentenced to death for spying, but he escaped from captivity and fled to Canada. In 1778, Butler and Mohawk chief Joseph Brant led a raid into Pennsylvania that culminated in the Cherry Valley Massacre. Butler was blamed for the murder of women and children in the massacre, and the patriots of Willett would have their revenge at the 25 October 1781 Battle of Johnstown, which forced Butler to retreat. Just five days later, he was killed in a skirmish in the Hudson Valley by Willett and the Continental Army.